Budget & Bill Progress

The schedule of bills on the calendar next week has grown from one page to four. Committee calendars are getting longer as more bills are placed on notice. The challenge is that it becomes harder to predict when a bill might actually be heard. Committee meetings are time-limited, and bills that are not reached during the allotted time are pushed to the following week.

That said, there has been some progress. HB 2411 / SB 2167, the bill to include TennCare representation on the Department of Disability and Aging’s Statewide Planning and Policy Council, has passed the Senate. That’s an important step forward. The bill is heading to the House Insurance Committee on Tuesday, March 10th.

Updated Bill Tracking List: March 5 2026 Bill Tracking

Disability Bill Calendar Week of March 9th: Disability Bill Calendar Week of March 9

A primary responsibility of the TN General Assembly each year is to pass a balanced state budget. As you know, the Governor presents a proposed budget, which serves as the starting point. The General Assembly can make changes by adding or subtracting programs and adjusting line items within the limits of available state revenue.

Legislators propose changes to the budget by filing budget amendments. Like other legislation, these amendments are assigned numbers and reviewed and debated in committee. The House Finance Committee has set Monday, March 9th as the deadline for filing budget amendments.

We are aware of three budget amendments coming from the disability community:

• 
The Coalition for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is working on a budget amendment to add $8.6 million to the TDMHSAS budget. The funding would support four new Crisis Stabilization Units and address the Department’s Mobile Crisis budget shortfall.
 For more information, read the TCMHSAS letter to the Governor: Budget Consideration- TCMHSAS
• TNCO, the provider association for IDD services, is supporting a budget amendment to provide funding for a one-time, non-recurring average 4% bonus for direct support workers.
 For more information, read TNCO’s talking points: BudgetAmendment TalkingPoints
• TNSTEP has been working with the Governor’s Office and legislators on a budget amendment to expand the capacity of Tennessee’s Parent Training and Information Center. The additional funding would allow services to reach more families of children receiving special education services.
 For more information, read TNSTEP’s talking points: TNSTEP Legislative Handout

Within the next week, we expect to see the full list of legislative budget amendments for consideration. Later, Governor Lee will release a supplemental budget proposal outlining any additional changes he would like to make.

The General Assembly has signaled its intent to adjourn in April, so both bill movement and budget negotiations will continue to accelerate in the coming weeks.